Venice Shooting: A Family Left Behind

The GoFundMe account set up to help the family of 37-year-old Marvin Ponce, who was shot and killed on August 3 in Venice, has almost reached it’s fundraising goal.

Ponce’s body was found in the street around 4:05 p.m. in the area Seventh Avenue and Brooks Court

Police say Ponce’s body was found in the street around 4:05 p.m. in the area of Seventh Avenue and Brooks Court. Working for Right of Way, Ponce had been directing traffic past a nearby building site. He was just about to end his shift and head home to his wife and 1-year-old daughter.

Wes Mollno, the owner of Right of Way, set up the GoFundMe campaign. So far donations are only a few thousand dollars shy of the $30,000 target. Money raised will cover all costs involved with Ponce’s funeral that was held on August 9. Any money remaining money will be saved in a private account for Marvin’s daughter’s college tuition.

One of Ponce’s co-workers, Julie Komora, donated to the campaign writing, “Marvin, I cannot put into words how much I will miss you! I will never understand why bad things happen to good people. You are one of the best people I know and I am so lucky to have known you! I was always happy seeing you at work. You always made me laugh. My heart is so heavy with your loss! I will miss you tremendously my dear friend!”

Ponce’s co-workers say they “lost a talented and hard-working team member, and his family has lost an amazing son, father and overall human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Marvin have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. His spirit will be forever a part of Right of Way.”

The shooter has still not been found. Witnesses told police the shooter was wearing a black hoodie, black sunglasses, and black jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD West Bureau detectives at (213) 382-9470. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

Yo! Venice! was started by two friends, Keri and Bret, to create a communal blog for residents of Venice Beach California.
In today’s world of RSS feeds, they felt that a blog would be a perfect place for people to let others know how they view the Venice Beach community through words and pictures. It is hoped that this site will become a communal blog with many people submitting stories for all in the community to share.